PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The Administrative Core provides coordination and administrative oversight for the Program Project, ?Improving Medicare in an Era of Change.? The Core is housed within the Department of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School, which has a long and successful history of managing large and highly complex research projects. The mission of the Administrative Core is to maximize the Project Leaders' focus on the scientific work proposed while providing a structure for ongoing evaluation and critique of the Program Project. Thus, the Administrative Core has two Specific Aims: (1) oversight, administration and coordination for the Program Project, including dissemination of findings, and (2) chartering and coordination of regular meetings and the Scientific Advisory Board. Major tasks within the first aim include maintenance of IRB approvals, recruitment and coordination of staff, procurement of computer equipment and data, negotiation and execution of agreements (Data Use Agreements, in particular), and internal and external project communication. Additionally, the Administrative Core will lead efforts to attract and integrate promising students and post-doctoral fellows to participate in the research being conducted by the Program Project. Major tasks of the second aim include preparing meeting materials and agendas, arranging meeting travel and logistics, and carrying out the administrative goals for the Scientific Advisory Board. The Administrative Core will oversee and support the achievement of the component research Projects. As results accrue, the Administrative Core will be the driving forces behind the dissemination of those results to the public, the broader research community, and to the national agencies responsible for the provision of Medicare services.